Release No. OR-020-11-07
For Release: April 8, 2011
Contact:
Tara Martinak
(541) 573-4400
Comment Period Opens for Celatom Mine Expansion
Hines, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Burns District announces the availability of
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed expansion of a Celatom mine,
located approximately 50 miles east of Burns and 60 miles west of Vale, Oregon.
The Celatom Complex is a diatomaceous mine currently consisting of three open-pit mines called
Beede Desert (on private land), Kelly Field (on BLM-administered land), and Section 36 (on Stateadministered land) in Harney and Malheur Counties.
The Draft EIS analyzes proposed activities on BLM-administered land and cumulative effects from
proposed activities on State-administered and private land, all within the project boundary.
Proposed activities include expanded mining operations, new mining operations, and exploratory
drilling, development drilling, sampling, trenching, and bulk sampling within the Project boundary.
A 45-day public comment period is scheduled to begin April 8 and end May 22. A public meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (MT) at the Juntura School in Juntura,
Oregon. Formal written comments will be accepted at the public meeting. Comments can also be
delivered or mailed to the BLM Burns Office, or submitted by email to [email protected].
Entire comments – including personal identifying information – may be published as part of the EIS
and Decision process.
Compact disks containing the Draft EIS are available at the BLM Burns District Office. The
document is also available online at: www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/plans/index.php
Copies of the Draft EIS are available for review at the BLM Burns and Vale District Offices during
regular business hours. The Final Celatom Mine Expansion EIS is scheduled for completion in
August 2011. For further information about the Draft EIS or to have your name added to the project
mailing list, contact the Celatom Mine Expansion Project Lead at (541) 573-4400.
Mail or deliver to:
Fax:
Celatom Mine Expansion Project Lead
BLM Burns District Office
28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738
(541) 573-4411
Attention: Celatom Mine
Expansion Project Lead
The BLM manages more land – 245 million surface acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National
System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1
billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use
mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future
generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral
development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
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